


the holy dove, she will be caught again

by Lexigent



Category: Tulip - Jesca Hoop (Song)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 18:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexigent/pseuds/Lexigent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The princess Ada is rumoured to be very beautiful and to have refused all who came to court to woo her. When the royal family travels the land in search of a husband for her, tulip seller Aeon is caught up in a tale of love and magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the holy dove, she will be caught again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Measured_Words](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured_Words/gifts).



> Thank you so much for introducing me to this song - what a wonderful mythological world it creates! Both it and your prompt have been very inspirational, so I hope you enjoy this.

Aeon had often heard the travellers talk of the beautiful princess Ada. The rich merchants who stopped by Aeon's fields to buy the flowers Aeon grew there talked of how beautiful and cold she was, and how many of them had lost a suit trying to woo her. 

The children who played with Aeon's cats would play "Princess Ada gets married", with a ring of hair instead of gold and one of Aeon's tulips in their hair.   
Aeon was, by and large, uninterested in all that talk. Tulips and animals were what Aeon really cared about; wild things made tame to an extent, but never losing that essential ferocity. They were more interesting than people. 

The merchants talked about the beauty and strength of Aeon's goods as well - they must do, for they kept coming, bringing their friends with them, and singing the praises of the beauty of Aeon's flowers, the strength of her hounds and horses, the shimmer on her cats' fur. Aeon traded the tulips for money and goods; for food for the horses and sleeping baskets for the dogs and cats. They nourished her eyes when they were on the field, and her animals when they were cut and sold. Over the years, Aeon had become very skilled in selecting and growing the flowers and growing lovely colour combinations: purple tulips with yellow streaks, tulips with alternating blue and white petals, . The tailors and tanners from the nearby towns always eagerly awaited the first tulips of the year, as that would tell them what colours would be in fashion that year.   
Aeon would have stayed that way happily for years and years, had it not been for Ada and the king and queen. 

It was Aeon's birthday - a significant one by other people's reckoning, but Aeon had never much cared for reckoning years - and the tulips were high in bloom, leaving Aeon's hands as soon as they were cut down from the field. The sun was high on the horizon and Aeon was serving one customer after another, overhearing their talk casually, as one does without intention. 

"I wonder what she actually looks like," she heard one say. "I've never seen her picture, but the men say she is very beautiful." 

"I hear she seldom shows her face outside the palace," replied the other. "We shall be lucky if we get to behold her at all." 

Without further inquiry, Aeon knew they must be talking about the princess Ada. Aeon scoffed and the customers noticed. 

"Do you not care for the princess Ada, Aeon? Have you not heard the stories? Aren't you curious?" 

"I am a tulip grower," said Aeon, "and a breeder of strong horses and hounds. The king and queen and their princess interest me only in so far as they give me land on which to do my business." 

"Aeon," the customer now laughed, "surely even you cannot be completely without curiosity." 

Aeon shrugged. "The princess Ada lives far away." 

"But that's just it, Aeon. The king and queen are travelling the realm with their princess and they are stopping in our town in a few days." 

"And why would they do that?" Aeon asked. The customers started giggling. 

"To find her a husband." 

Aeon raised an eyebrow. "Are there no men in the fair city?" 

"There are, but none that she will have. She has refused everyone who has come to court her." 

Aeon whistled. Suddenly, the princess Ada had become a lot more interesting. 

"So, when did you say they were coming?" 

"In three days' time. Come to market with us, bring your tulips, and let us see if we can get a glimpse of the princess." 

By the end of the day, Aeon had heard several versions of this conversation. In the end, Aeon thought, there wouldn't be any harm in going to market in a few days' time, and it might make for an interesting spectacle if nothing else - and more money, if people were coming into town to buy beautiful things. 

Market day came, and Aeon's stall was decked with tulips in every colour of the rainbow. People were buying from it, as ever, but there was an atmosphere - something in the air. A tension, as though everyone around was expecting something important to happen. Whispers travelled this way and that about the princess and the king and queen. Then, finally, a path formed in the midst of the market crowds, and a hush fell. 

The king and queen and their beautiful daughter walked through the market, looked at by hundreds of pairs of eyes. Aeon felt it long before seeing it - the hush that had fallen over the crowd, the ripples that spread as customers and traders made way for the royal family. 

Finally, slowly, they were within Aeon's sight. Aeon caught a glimpse of a white sequinned garment, dazzling in the sunshine, the light reflecting in a myriad directions, and then, there she stood - the legend of the land; Ada, the beautiful, cold princess, daughter of the rulers of the realm. 

Aeon looked at her from under downcast lids and understood why all men desired her. Beauty was not rare in Aeon's world of tulips and hawks, but it was rare for those around, and Aeon understood why they would seek it out, worship it, if it took the shape of one of theirs. 

Ada picked up a red tulip. "I would like this one, please, flower-seller." 

Aeon looked up at her and met her gaze, and was shaken to the bone. There was such sadness in Ada's eyes that Aeon wondered how anyone could look at her for any length of time and not be overwhelmed. 

"My name is Aeon," Aeon said, "and I shall give you this flower free of charge." 

Ada smiled. "Aeon, but you must know I can pay." 

"You cannot put a price on beauty," Aeon said and held Ada's gaze. 

"Money isn't the only currency, Aeon." Ada's voice was toneless, the sadness in her eyes so palpable that Aeon had to look away. 

"My lady," Aeon said with difficulty, "I merely wished to be kind to you. I meant no insult." 

_Please,_ Aeon thought and looked up at Ada again. Her face had changed only by a fraction, but there was a hint of a smile in her voice as she said, "Then I shall welcome your kindness." 

"Thank you." Aeon suddenly wished her to be gone, wished she had never come by to look at the tulips to start with. Ada blinked and nodded, and then she was gone. 

Aeon sat down to regroup. After a few minutes, the market resumed its usual pace and the day carried on as it otherwise would have, but Aeon was unable to shake the impression that the encounter with Ada had left; the silent but unmistakable message in her eyes: _Help._

Aeon was packing up that night when a messenger came with a letter. 

She had come from the king and queen, and the letter, she said, had been sent by the hand of the princess Ada herself, to be given to Aeon the tulip seller. Her hand, if it was her hand, was large and slanted to the right, peaks and troughs of the letters like the rhythm of birds' wings on the page.   
_Please come to see us tomorrow night at seven. Bring your finest wares. My father and mother wish to speak with you upon some business._   
There was no signature, nor any indication of where Aeon was to go. There was no need for either - the messenger was enough, and everyone in the town knew where the king and queen were staying. 

Aeon paid the messenger for her pains and finished packing up in a daze. It was fairly clear what business the king and queen had, but Aeon couldn't really think beyond the excitement of getting to see Ada again. 

The next morning, Aeon rose before the usual hour to pick out the finest flowers in the field - one of every colour, and a few more of those blood-red ones that Ada had so liked when they had met in the market. Aeon put them in a vase with some fresh water and kept it in a dark, cool recess so they would look their best in the evening. 

Aeon arrived at the king and queen's lodgings at the appointed hour. The flowers had opened their crowns at exactly the right angle, like parted lips, and the evening light was catching in the water and glass beneath. A Guard was already waiting outside and soon Aeon was standing opposite the royal family themselves: the king on Aeon's left and the queen on the right, and directly ahead of Aeon, in a red dress and with eyes downcast: Ada, the princess who had chosen Aeon for herself. 

Aeon bowed and handed the vase with the flowers to the king. The king nodded appreciatively before handing them to a servant. Ada looked at the vase wistfully, but the servant seemed unaware. 

"Our daughter says you have won her heart with these flowers," the king said. Aeon swallowed. 

"Then your daughter is very kind, my lord. I.. had heard her heart was not easily moved." 

The queen to Aeon's right gave a laugh. "Indeed." 

Ada was silent, but lifted her gaze from the flowers to Aeon's face. 

"Princess," Aeon said. 

"You said there was no price for beauty," Ada began. "But I think the price for beauty is itself, and your flowers will be recompense for my parents." 

She walked across to where the servant still stood with the vase and picked out a red flower. She placed it inside her dress, right between where her breasts met, and Aeon's face flushed. 

"My lady." 

"Call me Ada. Aeon, do you accept my choice?" 

"It is an honour to be chosen this way, my lady." 

Ada smiled her sad smile and put her hand in Aeon's. Aeon kissed it, then looked at Ada's face. Ada pulled Aeon towards her and pressed their mouths together. Aeon felt her presence everywhere at once, deeper than the touch of skin on skin, vibrating right down to the bone, like wild birds flapping around in a cage. _Set me free set me free set me free_ , Ada hummed against Aeon's ribcage and Aeon had to keep clinging to her so as not to fall over. 

When Ada finally broke the embrace, her eyes had changed. Aeon looked at her as they pulled apart and laughed slightly. 

"You are exuberant, my lady." 

Ada laughed too. Before she could reply, the king interrupted. 

"The boon is complete, then. Our daughter is yours, Aeon, may she give you joy." 

And so Aeon left the town hand in hand with the princess Ada, and the eyes of all folk in the town were upon them all the way to the town gates.   
Together they walked the long way to Aeon's piece of land outside the town. Aeon wanted to ask many questions, but could think of no good way to phrase them out here on the road, and Ada was equally silent. It all felt strange; unreal. 

Aeon gave the princess a cup of water and some bread when they got in and let her sit on the soft mattress in the main room. Ada ate and drank gratefully but did not speak. She lay down on the mattress and took the tulip from between her breasts, then started unwrapping her dress. 

"We should wash, my lady," Aeon said. "The walk was long, and I am tired and there is dust in my skin." 

Ada looked at Aeon and there was a yearning there that tugged at Aeon's heart too much to consider anything else, dirt and tiredness be damned, and so Aeon let her lead the way until they were entwined on the mattress in a dance that was as old as humankind itself. 

The first thing Aeon saw the next morning was the red tulip. It had fallen next to the mattress and one of the petals was missing, leaving a gaping hole.   
The second thing were Ada's eyes, dark and deep and still so very very sad. Her eyes fluttered under her eyelids as Aeon kissed them softly. 

"My lady," Aeon whispered, "what would you have me do?" 

"You're not my servant, Aeon," Ada replied. 

"That I am not," Aeon said, "but I am yours now, and you are mine, and I wish for you to be happy. I wish to take away the sadness in your eyes and the wild cries in your heart and the big wings scraping the cage of your soul." 

"Aeon," Ada whispered, and opened her mouth as if to say something else, but her voice broke and she clung to Aeon's chest and wept. Aeon held her and stroked her hair gently, waiting for the storm in her soul to subside. When it finally did, her words tumbled out like feathers on the wind. Aeon waited patiently for her to finish. 

"You must bind me with something of yours, and take me to the water," she said, " and hold me under until I don't move any more, and then let me go and return on the seventh day. I will be there and not there; the same but different." 

Aeon nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Anything you ask." 

Ada bit her lip. "I might be mad, Aeon." 

"I do not think you mad." 

"What do you think?" 

Aeon's heart clenched. "I think you are beautiful. I think you have a mind of your own, to choose me over all the men who came to court you. I think you know who you are, and what you are, and I think that in the end, it matters not what I think. It matters that you are happy." 

Aeon's tears ran into the pillow as Ada replied, "You were the only one who asked for nothing in return. You gave me a beautiful thing you had created yourself of your own accord and you asked for no compensation." 

"And so you think I will do this terrible thing you ask of me." 

Ada nodded. 

"And so I shall." 

And with that, Aeon got up and dressed. They breakfasted on hot oats and milk, then stepped outside. Aeon looked across the tulip field and picked a fresh blood red flower close to the ground, peeled the stem in two, and bound it around Ada's neck like a pendant. 

"Now I have bound you with something of mine," Aeon said. Ada nodded gratefully and took Aeon's hand and together they walked towards the water. They removed their clothes on the bank and got in. The water was up above their chests.

Ada took Aeon's hands and held them still. 

"I will tell you what to do." 

Aeon nodded. Ada pulled closer for a kiss, for an embrace, and then, her hands were between Aeon's legs and Aeon was at her mercy in the cold water. She moved with complete ease, attuned to Aeon's desire, and Aeon cried out and shuddered, was pieced apart, and floated away on the ripples. 

Then Aeon became a person again, glanced at Ada, at the reflections of the sun on the water dancing across her skin, at the wide sky above them, and felt frighteningly lucky for just a second. Aeon's hands were already searching a way between Ada's legs to return the favour but she caught Aeon's wrists and held them. 

"Do what you promised," she whispered close to Aeon's ear. 

And Aeon kissed her, desperate and wild, and took a deep breath before finding her neck and diving down. She did not struggle much. The water bubbled out of her mouth and Aeon could feel her limbs go limp. 

Aeon got out of the river and cast a look back at Ada, now floating downstream like so much driftwood, the red flower still bound tightly around her neck. Aeon's eyes seemed fixed upon her body as it swerved with the currents and Aeon could only move when it was finally out of sight. Aeon stomped on the ground and made a small pile of stones to remember the spot. There wasn't a dry thing in Aeon's world now, even on return to the house. Aeon made a fire and did what needed to be done, but the wetness was still there that night, and the next morning, and the day after that. 

Seven days went like that, with Aeon feeling like getting up in the morning was a struggle much like getting to the surface of a body of water when you've been submerged, and moving through water at every task of the day. 

But on the seventh day, Aeon awoke with a feeling of lightness and smiled in private and walked down to the river after breakfast. The spot where Ada had drowned was still marked with the stones, and Aeon sat beside them and waited. As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky and started on his descent, Aeon could feel hope leaching away and thought that maybe Ada had been mad after all. Maybe the heaviness of the past seven days would set in again tomorrow and mar Aeon's life forever, and that was a thought Aeon knew not how to bear. 

When the sun was setting deep in the east and Aeon was beginning to shiver in the evening chill, finally, something happened. At first, Aeon thought it was only a bird of the field, those came and went all the time. But it made a peculiar sound that Aeon hadn't heard before, and seemed to come ever closer. Aeon looked around to see where the brid was, and saw it on the other side of the river: a beautiful light grey dove. The bird took flight across the water and landed two feet from Aeon's outstretched legs. This close, Aeon could see that the bird had a mark on its breast like droplets of blood - no, like the petals of an open tulip, slightly bent to one side, and crooked at one corner like one petal was missing. 

"But that wasn't the flower I bound you with," Aeon thought and was then surprised to have said it out loud.   
The bird stepped closer, spread its wings, and perched on Aeon's shoulder. Aeon raised a hand to touch its feathers. The bird made an appreciative sound. Aeon exhaled, feeling relieved down to the bone. 

"Ada." 

The bird gurred softly and let Aeon move a finger across her breast. Aeon thought of the beautiful tulips in the field, of the princess Ada's sad eyes, of the one night and one day that she had been Aeon's wife. 

But then the bird soared high above Aeon's head and sang a jubilant song of thanks, and Aeon's heart rose up with her. And Aeon, who loved the wild things and the flowers and the animals, laughed in the face of the wind. 

"I love you, my lady Ada, and I hope you will be happy wherever you go," Aeon said, and the bird circled overhead and followed Aeon back home to roost on the roof.

**Author's Note:**

> One of the ideas behind the story, and the reason the relationship tags are as they are, was to leave Aeon's gender open to interpretation, as the song is sung by a woman, but the narrator is referenced as male in the text.


End file.
